Lunar Eclipse
by XxDonMelloxX
Summary: Mello is forced to room and study with Near against his will. When Near shows a small act of kindness, things start to get a little better between the two... MxN
1. Rise

**Lunar Eclipse**

A Mello x Near, Mello x Matt fanfiction

Written upon request

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or Mello or Matt or Near or Wammy's or England. (Yet.) Since I will inevitably die by my Matt's hand for even writing this story, I hope you at least enjoy it.** ** ~Mello**

It was a beautiful morning in Winchester, England. The sun was shining in gentle streaks through holes in the dark clouds that were finally fading from the skies. Birds were chirping a cheerful morning tune and a fresh dew glistened upon the petals of wildflowers. It had been days since the children living at the orphanage known as Wammy's House had been able to go outside to play. Spirits were high, hopeful that today would be different.

On this particular morning, Wammy's was bustling with the excitement of children waking for breakfast and the quiet murmur of conversation. Most of the children were talking of the weather or breakfast at this time, but there were two students who hadn't even noticed the weather yet. Two of the orphanage's occupants were completely preoccupied, far too wrapped up in eachother at the moment to give a thought to anything else. In their third floor room, the sounds of scuffling and shouting could be heard behind their closed door. This, however, was something many people in the home had gotten used to.

"_Matt!_ Matt, stop! Dammit, I'm gonna-!"

"What? You'll _what,_ Mello? I'm the one in control here! Face it! Little Blondie, submitting to the Master!" Mello? Submit? Never. The word had been discarded from his vocabulary. With a little growl, he conjured all his strength to buck upward, throwing his best friend off balance and causing him to fall off the bed.

"Ooouuuch! Mello, you jackass!" Matt frowned, peeking up over the mattress. As soon as he did, however, he was made to duck again. Even so, the pillow Mello swung hit him in the back of the head. Observing his fallen opponent, Mello lay across the bed to look over the side. He grinned at the sight of Matt laying there, frowning up at him.

"Oh, face it, Matt. Your pillow fighting skills suck." He laughed, rolling his eyes as he pulled himself up out of bed to dress himself. "I don't even think a good breakfast would help you. And speaking of which, we're missing breakfast right now thanks to your dumb ass." Mello turned to face his friend, who had leapt up at the mention of missing breakfast and nearly dove across the room to retrieve his clothes with a bit of cussing. He couldn't help but smile at Matt. His best friend could be such a dimwit sometimes, but it was always so amusing to him. Mello chuckled as the redhead hopped on one foot, trying to make his way to the door as he tugged his pants on at the same time. A typical morning for the pair.

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In another room on the third floor, someone was having a less than active morning. A tiny, pale hand rose from the starch white sheets of the bed he slept in, his snowy white hair and pale, pale face nearly blending in with the pure white pillow. Large ebony hues peeked open in small, tired slits. Near yawned, his hand falling with a faint _pouff_ onto the billowy comforter that covered him. He lay there a few moments, watching the sun stream in through the window near his bed. Maybe he should feign being sick today. He'd rather just lie there in bed. He was comfortable, and didn't want to move.

At least the sun was out. That meant the rest of the kids would be heading outside rather than invading his serenity in the recreations room. Matt was the only one who usually stayed inside after lunch but he was fairly quiet and kept mostly to himself, so Near didn't mind him being there.

He closed his eyes, rubbing his face before giving a deep sigh and pulling himself up from the bed. Time for breakfast. No use bothering to pretend he was sick, anyway. The nurse would prove him wrong within moments and send him back to class. He stripped down and tugged on a clean pair of identical white pajamas and a pair of white socks before heading down to the cafeteria.

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Mello yawned as he stood with Matt at the tail end of the breakfast line, late as usual. He moved closer beside the redhead, resting his head upon his shoulder.

"Still tired?" Matt smirked, and Mello nodded. He wasn't about to tell his friend that he'd stayed up late studying again. Matt hated when he stayed up til all hours of the morning trying to cram his brain full of knowledge. But Mello was so close to beating Near in Wammy's ranks... that little bastard was considered the smartest kid there, and Mello hated to be outdone. Especially by a twerp like Near. It drove Mello crazy. How could that little brat beat him? But no matter. He'd be on top soon.

He yawned again as they received their breakfast trays and sat at their usual table apart from the rest of the kids. That was when Mello finally noticed the weather, and he perked up some. "Oh, hey! It's finally nice out again! Maybe we'll be able to go out and play some football today. You in, Matt?" He asked, forking a bite of french toast into his mouth. Matt, however, was less enthusiastic.

"Nah... you know me, Mel. I'm not really into the whole outside thing."

"Why the hell not? You need some sun on that pale-ass skin of yours, anyway." Mello frowned, plucking at the goggles around the boy's face. Matt's hands immediately moved to keep the accessory on, but Mello didn't fight. "Seriously, Matt! It's not healthy for you to shut yourself up in the House all day every day. Come outside for once."

"No." Matt insisted, swirling a piece of his food around in the syrup. "It'll put a glare on my screen. I won't be able to play."

Mello rolled his eyes. Why had he even bothered trying to suggest such a thing to the other? He'd never been able to convince Matt to go outside, not even - well, okay, maybe once, but Matt had been pretty mad about it afterward. They ate in silence for a while before Mello finally turned back to his comrade once more.

"Okay so what's so great about staying inside anyway, huh? You don't even do anything, just chill out and play your damn games, don't you?"

"Yup!" He answered proudly with a smirk. Mello sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Okay. Well what if I come inside and we play a game or something?"

"Sure, whatever." Matt shrugged, indifferent. He could really care less what Mello did with his time after lunch... he'd probably end up playing his games anyway.

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Classes that day were fairly uneventful. The teacher tried to make things a little more fun to learn by having the kids go up to write out problems on the board or draw things, but Near just found the whole thing to be rather annoying. Just because Linda could draw didn't mean anyone else could, and he personally didn't much like to draw. And frankly, everyone else's drawings pretty much sucked. And yes, he was in a bad mood.

After a particularly bad drawing, he curled back up in his seat glaring at the teacher. At least the class was almost done, and then would be lunch, then he could relax for a while. Hopefully the afternoon classes wouldn't be so annoying.

He continued to glare outright at the teacher, who seemed to have gotten the message and stopped calling Near up to the board. The bells rang a short time later, and Near carefully gathered his books. About time.

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Mello sighed in slight annoyance as he trodded through the halls of Wammy's toward the rec. room. He'd only played one game of ball, as he'd promised Matt... so Matt had better keep up his end of the bargain and make it worth his time for coming inside to miss the rest of the games.

With a lick of his lips, he turned the corner into the room and headed toward the back, where Matt tended to sit on the rainy days when everyone had to stay inside.

"Hey, Matt. What game do y-..." Mello stopped abruptly when the boy finally came into view. Or rather, the boys. Matt, and Near. Even though Near was only sitting there building a structure of dice, Mello's temper flew through the roof. Matt looked up to see the expression on his friend's face and almost cringed at the sight.

"Now Mel-"

"You fucking ditch me after lunch every day to hang out with _this_ fucking prick?!"

"Mello, we're not even talking! I'm playing my game and he's-"

"I don't give a fuck! Come on, Matt, we're leaving!" He frowned, snatching Matt up nearly by his ear and dragging him from the room.

Near watched Mello the entire time. What was _his_ problem, anyway? That guy always seemed to be in a bad mood. How could someone as quiet and peaceful as Matt even be friends with someone as loud and obnoxious as Mello? Near sighed, shaking his head a bit before returning to his dice castle.

_A/N: Sorry for the rush of the first chapter. I was having trouble getting things done. The rest of the plot won't flow as oddly as this, I promise. -M-_


	2. Sentenced

**Chapter 2: Sentenced**

_**A/N: Again, I apologize for the rush of the first chapter. The writing's coming out much smoother now, so hopefully the rest of the story will be far more enjoyable. ~Mello**_

"Mello, you're blowing things just a bit out of proportion, don't you think? Ridiculously, I might add." Matt huffed, curling his legs up to sit indian-style on his bed with his little hand-held gameboy. He turned his attention to the screen, watching as Mello paced the room in his periforal vision. The guy really _was_ being just a little over the top about all of this... acting like Near had some contagious disease or something that Mello didn't want him around. Matt pretty much understood where Mello was coming from about the whole Near situation, but still...

"No. Seriously, Matt. If you don't want to spend recesses with me cuz we're roommates or whatever, fine. I'll understand if you see too much of me. But if you're gonna be ditching me just to fuck around with Near-"

"Who said anything about fucking?"

"You know what I mean, Matt! Don't be an asshole about it!"

Now the redhead paused his game to cast his gaze up to Mello who had stopped pacing to frown at him with crossed arms. "Just who is the one being an asshole here? You act like we're a couple and you suspect me of cheating. Neither of which is true. So I don't see why you're making a huge deal about this. It's not like I'm with Near every moment I have available to me. I seriously barely even talk to him while we're there. He plays with his toys, I play my game. Why do I have to justify this to you in the first place? You really are being aggravating right now. And it's time for class." Matt frowned, standing to shove his way past Mello out of their room.

Mello stood there frowning as he'd listened to everything Matt had to say. Maybe he _was_ being just a bit pushy because he hated Near so much. He knew he didn't really have a right to tell Matt who he could and couldn't be friends with, but... just... anyone but _Near_. How would he be able to live down his best friend being friends with his worst enemy? Mello sighed and left the room for his own class.

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Near licked his lips with a soft sigh as he began to gather the dice that had fallen from his structure after Matt and Mello had left the room. It wasn't often that he made a slip of the hand enough to cause the whole thing to fall. He was just... distraught.

His thoughts turned to the mysterious blond as he began to reset the base for his dice tower. He had initially thought that Matt and Mello's personalities were so much of a clash that he couldn't understand how the two got along so well. But thinking on it more... he realized that truthfully, he didn't know either of them very well.

Actually... he didn't know _anyone_ at Wammy's very well.

But Mello. He'd heard things about him. There were rumors floating around Wammy's, that Mello was a troublemaker and basically a jerk to anyone he didn't like... which seemed to be anyone whose name wasn't "Matt." And as far as Near could tell, Mello hated him because he held the top ranking at Wammy's.

Sounded like a pretty stupid reason to hate someone. Mello didn't know anything at all about him other than his name, appearance, rank and residence, yet he hated him so much simply because he was ranked number one.

"That's foolish." Near muttered, placing another die upon the tower. "Why should anyone hate someone else simply because of statistics?" Oh, well. He wouldn't dwell upon it. If Mello chose to act in such foolish manners, then so be it. It wasn't his problem. Still... now having realized that he didn't know anything about Mello, the person ranked just below him, he was beginning to wonder just what kind of person Mello really was, aside from all the rumors. If Mello had at least one friend - one who was always at his side, so far as Near could tell - then he couldn't be as bad as everyone claimed, could he?

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Recess the next day, and Matt had stayed inside again. It bothered Mello, but he wasn't going to go inside and pull him out again. Matt was right. As much as Mello hated Near, it had sounded more as though he were accusing Matt of some sort of betrayal, and he knew Matt would never leave his side as his best friend to become better friends with someone Mello hated. Matt was far more loyal than that. And in fact, he owed Matt an apology.

He sighed as he stood on the sidelines, waiting to be picked for a team for kickball. Maybe he should skip out again today and just go apologize to M- ... No, nevermind. He'd apologize to Matt, but not in front of Near. He didn't want to _look_ at Near if he didn't have to.

...Not even for Matt? Mello frowned. It was bringing him down today, that arguement weighing on him. He felt horrible for flipping out on Matt, and he wanted to apologize as soon as possible.

Someone picked him for a team and he moved to stand with the rest of them, waiting for the choosing to finish. In the meantime, he couldn't help passing a glance up to the window of the rec room where Matt undoubtedly was. When he did, Mello ended up doing a double take.

"What the f-...?" He whispered to himself, brows furrowed in obvious confusion. _What the hell was Near doing watching him?_

No... maybe he was just getting air or something, Mello reasoned with himself. The little jerk had no reason to be watching him specifically. The game started and Mello turned his attention to the game, taking his place on home plate as first to kick. He booted the ball out into the field and made it to second base with hardly any trouble. Between encouraging his teammates, he passed a few more glances toward the window. Yeah... Near was definitely _watching_ him. Everytime he was in a different spot, those large black eyes were on him. Mello actually shivered. He'd never been watched like that before. It was unnerving. Just what the hell was Near's problem, anyway?

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Mello hurried to the bathroom to rinse the sweat from his face before heading to his afternoon classes. He was second to last to arrive in the room, but the teacher still called him to the front. With a groan, Mello rose from his seat to stand by the teacher's desk.

"Yes?" He asked, expecting to get reamed for being late. Instead, the teacher handed him a pass.

"Here. You're excused from class to report to the office. Roger would like to speak with you."

"...I didn't do anything," Mello muttered, confused. So far this week, anyway, he hadn't done anything worth being scolded for. The teacher rolled her eyes at him, nodding.

"Of course not, Mello. Now go on ahead to the office." She instructed, her tone ladeled with sarcasm. Obviously, she didn't believe him. Mello sighed, rolling his eyes as he headed from the room toward the office. He knocked on the door, waiting until he heard the "Come in." before entering, making his way to stand in front of the large desk.

"You wanted to see me, Roger?" He asked, watching the old man sitting behind the desk. Roger nodded, shuffling through some papers in front of him.

"Yes, Mello. It has been brought to my attention that, although you seem to be trying very hard, you aren't making much progress in the rankings." _Way to rub it in, asshole_, Mello frowned.

Roger turned his vision to Mello, adjusting the glasses upon his face. "Mello, I know you are trying your best to achieve the highest ranking. The fact remains, however, that despite your best efforts, you continue to place second behind Near."

Mello sighed, finally losing his patience. "So what, Roger? Did you call me up here just to rub this all in my face? I'm trying as hard as I can."

Roger was silent a moment, studying the boy before his desk. "Matt tells me you've been losing sleep over this. That could be cause for you not progressing as well in your classes."

Matt did _what_?! Shit... so he _had_ noticed. Mello should have known...

Roger glanced at him and sighed. "I know you're not too fond of Near. Well, you'd best learn to at least like him. From now on, I've arranged for you to begin studying with Near. This way, you won't lose as much sleep and Near should be able to assist you quite well in your studies."

Mello gaped. "Study... with _Near_?! Roger, you've _got_ to be kidding.. I can't study with _Near_!"

"Learn to like it, Mello. That is all."

Mello left the office in shocked silence. Study... with Near. Just fucking great.


	3. Mistake

**Chapter 3: Mistake**

Mello spent the rest of his classes in an irritable state of fury. Of course, being second to Near he naturally had all the same classes. It was a fact that made him even more angry, to even be in the same room with that annoying little jerk. He didn't want to look at him or think about him. He was also still rather unnerved by the way Near had watched him during recess. He wanted to question him about it and demand an answer... but that would conflict with him not wanting to look at or think about... Near.... fucking oxymorons.

Mello groaned to himself, begrudgingly passing the source of his agitation a quick glance from across the room. Yeah... just _looking_ at Near annoyed him. He hurriedly turned to face front again, a fresh glare set in upon his face. He could study just fine without Near! He didn't need that little twerp's help. He was obviously capable enough to study and place second, he could beat Near in no time.

He sighed. Maybe he should at least step his studying up a notch or two. If his grades didn't improve at all it would probably be noticed, and then he'd have to go pay another visit to Roger's office and have another lecture. But whether his grades moved or not, he was going to make sure it was done by his own efforts. All he had to do now was figure out how he was going to get out of having to study with Ne-...

"Shit!" Hissed a voice behind him. Mello sighed and rolled his eyes. Matt, playing his games during class again. Way to ruin his train of thought. It would do _Matt_ good to study once in a -...

Oh, yeah. He just went there. Matt could certainly use the extra study sessions, and he didn't have a problem with Near, anyway! He'd do it, right? A smirk slowly spread across his lips. _Now_ he could focus more appropriately in class. He was sure Matt would do it. Problem solved.

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"Matt!" The redhead's eyes widened at the far too gleeful tone of his roommate, passing a cautious glance in his direction just seconds before the mass of black and blond tackled him upon his mattress.

"What the hell, Mello?! Get off! I'm in the middle of a fucking game!"

"Porn games, Matt? I thought you had more dignity."

Matt's eyes fell to half mast as he gave the other a look that clearly read, 'You are being such a moron right now...' Instead, he shoved the older boy off of him and sat up once again. He eyed him a moment before returning to his game. "What do you want, Mello?"

Surprised, Mello blinked and tilted his head. "What? What makes you think I want something?"

"If you had a tail, it'd be wagging right now." Matt replied flatly. Mello could only grin in response as he dropped onto the mattress beside Matt. He chuckled a bit as he leaned into the boy's shoulder, watching his game a moment before finally speaking up.

"Matty, I have a favor to ask you."

"I know that already. What is it?" Matt frowned. He was getting annoyed, especially when Mello remained silent a moment longer just watching his expression.

"Matt... you wouldn't care if you had to hang out with Near for like... an extra hour every day, would you?" Oh, ho. Mello's golden eyebrow arched when Matt actually paused his game and slowly turned to look at him.

"...Is this a trick question?" He finally asked. Mello laughed.

"No. Roger wants me to study with Near for an hour or two every day. I don't care if you actually study or not. I just don't want to spend the extra time with him. I see the little asshole enough as it is already."

Matt sighed and returned to his game. "Whatever. I don't care, but what makes you think Near is going to go along with this?"

_Fuck._ How the hell had he overlooked that? Mello flinched, then growled. "I don't care. I'll deal with it. It doesn't matter anyway. I'm just going to study a little more than I already have been-"

"What? _No._ No, you aren't." Matt's head whipped to face his friend, his expression a mix of anger and concern.

"Excuse me? I'm gonna have to. If my grades don't move at all, Roger will know-"

"Yeah, but you already half kill yourself studying. You already don't get enough sleep. What are you gonna do, become a vampire and just never sleep at all?"

Mello sighed. "Matt, I'll be fine. I'll come up with a way to enhance my studying so I don't have to spend twice as much time on it, okay?" He looked into his friend's highly unconvinced eyes.

"I'll make a deal with you. I'll go on your little study dates with Near, but while I'm doing that, you study _hard._ Okay? So you're not up all night."

Mello couldn't help but smile at Matt's serious expression. It wasn't often that he _was_ being serious. Mello grinned and patted his cheek. "Aww, thank you, Muffin! You're the _best_! I'll get to studying, so go on ahead. Just give me about an hour."

Matt sighed, casting Mello a strange glance at the pet name before shaking his head and pulling himself up to stand, heading over to Near's room.

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_**Bullocks.**_ This was _not_ part of the plan. Mello glared at the man sitting at the desk across from him, frowning. The two of them had been sitting silent like that for nearly two minutes, staring eachother down. Mello's arms were folded across his chest, ever the little bundle of defiance.

"Mello." Roger finally spoke, and took in a deep breath before letting it out in a sigh. "Would you care to explain to me just what happened here, before I make assumptions?"

"Nothing. Matt said he wanted to go hang with Near for a bit, so I decided to be a nice guy and let him do it."

"And the study session?"

"I studied."

Roger sighed, shaking his head. Perhaps it was true, what they said about blonds. Though he couldn't really say that here, where the young blond sitting before him was probably smarter than he himself. The elder man folded his hands upon his desk, staring at the child.

"Mello. You know that the reason you are supposed to be having these study sessions in the first place is so that you can study _with_ Near. I know you study on your own, just like everyone else. We're hoping to make a difference in your grades by having you study _with_ Near. Continuing to study on your own will neither help nor hurt your grades. I'm certain you understand what I'm trying to tell you, don't you?"

"Yeah, I get it." Mello grumbled, still glaring. Of course, it didn't mean he liked it. And it didn't mean he'd be going through with it just because Roger was sitting there lecturing him about it. Like _hell_ he would!

His gaze had shifted to a spot on the wall somewhere behind Roger, and it remained there a short while until Roger sighed again, and Mello's attention returned.

"Fine, then. As you wish, Mello. You leave me no choice."

His eyebrow arched. No choice? Now Roger was planning to resort to drastic measures just to force him into studying with Near? He watched as the old man shifted a few papers around on his desk, placing them in small organized piles before leaning to one side, opening a drawer. Mello sat up a bit in his seat, stretching even though he knew he wouldn't be able to see what Roger was doing. "What's that?" He asked instead.

Roger peeked up at him from behind his lenses. "The rooming assignments." The... the rooming assignments? Mello felt himself pale ever so slightly. There was no way he was going to... he... he _wouldn't!_ He watched in near horror as Roger took a piece of paper from one file. He separated it into two pages, glanced at them, and put one back. Then, watching Mello, he took the other paper and placed it into the other file. "Problem fixed," he announced. "Just like that."

"Wha... what?" Mello stammered. Maybe he was bluffing or something. Maybe he'd moved Matt's file into Near's room in hopes to drive him crazy being separated from everyone else.

"As of tomorrow evening, you will be moved into Near's room."

"YOU CAN'T DO THAT!!" He exclaimed, nearly leaping from his seat as he gripped the arms of the chair until his knuckles turned white. He was nearly shaking in fury.

"I just did, Mello. Just like that. Please calm your temper. You may return to your room now. It will be your last night there."

Holding back the urge to leap across the desk and hit the old man, Mello turned and stormed from the office, shoving a few of the other kids from his path. He needed chocolate, and space to calm down. There was _no way_ he was rooming with Near! _Never!!_


	4. Condemned

**Chapter 4: Condemned**

Matt jumped in his spot when he heard the door open and then slam behind his infuriated roommate. Oh, great. He hadn't expected things to go over well with Roger, but he also hadn't expected Mello to come back this angry. What had gone wrong?

"Mel?" He attempted in a soft tone. But Mello went straight for his desk, extracting a bar of chocolate and biting into it viciously. Matt watched as he took in a deep breath, slowly letting it out and probably trying to count to ten forward, backward, and sideways in his mind. Matt paused his game as Mello moved to sit on his own bed, staring at a spot on his comforter as he idly nibbled his chocolate. He supposed he should just enjoy the moments of silence while he had them, but Mello being this quiet made him a little concerned. He sighed and placed his game down before moving to sit in front of his friend on his bed.

"Mello. What happened?" Ah, a response. Mello looked up at him, his icy hues hard with anger and a frown set upon his lips.

"Roger's changing my room," he growled, "and putting me in _Near's_." His bright eyes were sharp as he watched Matt, his expression one of utter fury.

Matt's eyebrows rose in surprise. Roger would go _that_ far just to make Mello study better? Study with _Near_? Matt, to be honest, didn't like it much himself. For one, now he'd either have the room to himself or worse... get a new roommate. Matt frowned at the thought but sighed and gave a shrug, tying to pull himself together for his friend. "Well... maybe it won't be so bad, Mel-"

Mello's eyes shot back up to Matt and his own brows rose as if daring him to repeat that. "Excuse you? Might not be so bad? Matt, I'm getting stuck with fucking _Near_! It's going to be fucking hell! Now I have to _live_ with the fucking little prick!"

"Well, maybe if you comply and study and get a better grade to show for it, then maybe Roger will put you back here?" Hopefully he would, anyway. Matt really didn't feel like getting to know any of the other kids there, and he wasn't fond of the idea of losing his only friend to a different room.

Mello scoffed, shaking his head with a roll of his eyes. "Yeah, right. They probably think it'd be beneficial to have the top two getting along or some bullshit like that." He frowned, taking a deep breath and another angry bite of chocolate.

Matt sighed, glancing around their room as he raked his fingers through his bright messy hair. He knew he wasn't much in the way of comfort, and he just felt awkward sitting there trying to coax Mello out of his flaring temper. But how could he really be of any use when he was growing angry himself? Why did it always have to be the top Two, anyway? Why couldn't it at least be the top Three? Then they could all share a room, and Mello wouldn't have to be so upset about it because at least Matt would be there with him. He clenched his teeth, frowning as he hesitantly placed a hand over Mello's.

The blond's gaze softened when he looked up to his friend. The gesture was comforting, and he found himself giving a slight smile when Matt squeezed his hand. He knew Matt wasn't great with words and expression, so this was more than significant for him. Mello sighed, licking his lips free of chocolate before speaking softly.

"Thank you, Matt. I don't know what I'll do without you in there to keep me sane. I'll probably strangle him on the first night." He chuckled softly, shaking his head. "At least it's not like we can't still hang out. I should just sneak back in here at night."

Matt scoffed a bit. "Tch. You can't do that, Mel. You know they'd notice. You'd get in trouble."

"Ask me if I give a shit, Matt." He groaned, and leaned forward to rest his head upon the other boy's shoulder. He made himself comfortable there, closing his eyes. He would find some way around spending too much time with Near.

Matt blinked, sitting still for a moment when his friend moved to rest against him so casually. Sure, they were used to rough-housing and wrestling and being physical with eachother in general, but this felt different somehow. Matt licked his lips and sighed, finally moving a hand to rub Mello's back in small circles. "Mello, aren't you being just a little ridiculous about all this?" He asked, peeking down at his friend who was nearly snuggling against him. After saying that, however, Matt wondered if he might not have worded that too well. Mello became still, and a silence fell between them for a moment.

"About what?" Mello asked slowly, carefully. It was a tone that made Matt tense a little. It was as if there were little warning alarms blaring in his mind. Mello's tone sounded a bit dangerous. But Mello never really lost his temper with Matt, so he should be fine...

"About this whole thing with Near." He ventured, trying to sound casual even though he was sure he was stepping into a minefield. "I mean, all you have to do is sleep in there and study with him. You don't really have to interact much otherwise."

Now Mello pulled back from him, sitting up to look him in the eyes. "Matt. Living with him means I will be annoyed every moment I'm in there. I'll have to breathe in his scent at night and look at him in the morning, and before I go to bed. And I have to spend time with him in the evenings to study, and hear his voice more than I already have to-"

"Mel, he barely speaks."

"And it already annoys me this much, Matt, now I'm gonna have to deal with him talking directly _to_ me, for hours. Every day."

"Mello, you _are_ overreacting."

Mello's chest heaved and he shoved at his friend, pushing him away as he moved to stand from his bed. "You think I'm overreacting, Matt? Wait until you find someone you hate with a fucking firey burning passion. When you find someone that you hate as much as I hate Near, _then_ you can tell me if I'm overreacting. When you get forced into something like this, _then_ tell me I'm being ridiculous. Until then, I don't need your fucking comfort anymore, Matt. It's useless."

With that, he turned and stormed from the room again, leaving a stunned and angry Matt sitting upon his bed.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Near sighed as he returned to his room from the office. He'd just been told that Mello would be moving into his room that evening, and that they were to study together from now on. Truth be told, he could care less one way or another about the whole Number One thing. He just did as he was told, did the work he was assigned, and it just happened to be superior to the others. It wasn't his fault he was so smart. And for that reason, he couldn't understand why Mello would blame him for something so silly. It wasn't like he was going out of his way to beat Mello in all of his efforts.

He entered his room to find that things were going a little faster than he'd expected. There was already a bed for Mello placed in his room, and another desk. He gave a deep sigh, letting the momentary aggravation pass through him as he headed to his toy box on the far side of the room. He didn't mind having to acquire a roommate. And it was nice to be warned ahead of time. But having it be done nearly instantly was annoying. He would deal with it, however. It wouldn't be too terrible. Maybe this way, he'd finally be able to learn a bit more about Mello. The boy was like a mystery to solve all in his own, and Near was interested to learn a bit more about him.

He set out two doll beds before him, and placed a doll on each bed. Roommates. Such a binding term. As roommates, they would be confined to this room together in the mornings and evenings, and forced to spend time with eachother whether they liked it or not. And he was more than sure that Mello would not like it in the least. Having observed Mello interacting with others, he knew the boy was more than capable of socializing. It was a skill Near knew he himself lacked, so he could only hope that Mello would be the one to initialize conversation and such.

With a slight frown, he put the dolls and doll beds away. With the sort of behavior Mello typically exhibited around him, he was pretty sure Mello wouldn't make an effort to initialize any sort of contact. His coal eyes dark and hard, he threw one of the dolls hard against the wall.

Yes, he wanted to learn about Mello. Roommates? ...No. Not like this.


	5. Company

**Chapter 5: Company**

Mello frowned as the rest of the day dragged on. Not wanting to see or talk to anyone, he'd gone outside to take refuge amongst a patch of bushes. There he sat, leaning against a few branches curled up in a small ball of black and blond. In his hurry to get away from Matt, he'd forgotten to take a stash of chocolate with him to help quell his anger. He was really starting to wish chocolate grew on trees. Or maybe if he prayed hard enough, some chocolate would fall into his lap.

Plop. Mello blinked. "...Are you kidding me?" He muttered, lifting the chocolate bar that had literally just fallen into his lap.

"The hell are you mumbling about?" Matt frowned, plopping down amidst the bushes across from Mello.

Mello glowered at him a moment, wondering if he wanted to speak to him or not. But Matt _had_ brought a peace offering, so he supposed he could let him sit there. For now. He licked his lips as he peeled back the wrapping of the chocolate bar, not ready to look at Matt just yet. "What do you want?"

"What do you mean, 'what do I want'? You haven't been back to the room for a while, and I know you didn't bring any chocolate so I figured I'd bring you some before you got desperate or something ridiculous."

"Keep fucking calling me ridiculous, Matt, and your next roommate will be the nurse."

The redhead sighed, raking his fingers through his tousled hair as he cleared his throat. Mello watched him fidget a little before speaking again. "What? You obviously want to say something. Spit it out."

Matt cleared his throat again and parted his lips to speak, but nothing came out. Figuring it would be easier for him if he wasn't staring him down, Mello looked out toward the playing field as he nibbled his chocolate.

"Mel," Matt finally began, "I'm sorry. I don't want you to have to change rooms, either. It's not fair. And yeah, this is stupid. But you have to comply. And you never know, maybe they'll let you back into our room."

"I know. I wish they would too, Matt. But you and I both know the liklihood of that happening if I willingly work with Near." He sighed, taking a small bite of his chocolate bar as he leaned back into the bush. At least for now, he knew he'd have to go along with Roger's wishes. Maybe he'd find a way to get out of it. He frowned, wiggling a foot idly as he sat lost in thought, Matt fiddling with a gameboy across from him. He was supposed to switch rooms the next night. Great. Was it too cold to camp outside forever?

He licked his lips, the chocolate bar hanging from his mouth as he stared out across the field. He seemed to be lost in some far-off place, his thoughts branching out from the idea of camping outside forever. What if rooming with Near was so bad that he decided to run away? Where would he go? Where would he stay, what would he eat, would he die of cold? His nibbling slowed as his thoughts raced, working out each situation. He'd probably be fine if he ever ran away... mostly. It was just...

His eyes drifted to the side, his head unmoving as he peeked over at Matt through his periforal vision. What would he do if he had to run away and couldn't bring Matt? His throat hurt just thinking about it. Yeah, it was getting him all choked up. Better change his thought process. He tried to think of other things, tried to put his mind back on the track of what would happen if he ran away, but now it was stuck on Matt. He took a bite of his chocolate, sucking on the bit in his mouth as he stared out over the grass again. It sort of hurt a little, coming to the realization that... he _needed_ Matt. Even leaving him just to move into another room down the hall was going to suck. Matt was his best friend, and Mello knew that he was also the most stable thing in his life. Matt might not be all too stable himself, but he was practically Mello's other half...

His "other half?" Alright, maybe that was going just a little far. He turned to look at Matt again, unable to keep a small smirk from his face. Other half. Him and Matt? ...He could live with that, he supposed. Screw the homophobes, it'd be perfect.

He sighed. "Come on, Matt. It's getting dark." He stood, brushing himself off with one hand and crumpling his chocolate wrapper before holding out a hand to Matt. Yeah, he'd let his thoughts get just a little far-out. It was time to head back inside.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Mello didn't bother to look back at Matt as they headed back to thei-... _his_ room. Matt's. He frowned at the thought and unconsciously squeezed Matt's hand a little. He hadn't let go of Matt's hand from the moment the boy had taken it to help him stand up from the ground outside. It would be Mello's last night in the room, and then he'd be forced to room with sheep-boy.

He sighed as he maneuvered down the halls, unaware of the looks Matt was giving him. The boy's green eyes were locked on the back of Mello's head. He hated when Mello wasn't looking at him. It was harder to read him, and Matt wanted to read him at that moment. Why hadn't he let go of his hand? Of course, Matt hadn't objected. And truthfully, he could read him pretty well whether or not Mello was looking at him... it was just that looking into his eyes made it easier sometimes.

Right now? Matt bit his lip a little as he allowed Mello to tug him along down the hall, returning the gentle squeeze of his hand when Mel's own gripped his a little tighter. Mello was afraid, worried. And it broke Matt's heart. He knew Mello was dreading rooming with Near, but this seemed to be more than that. And that's why Matt wanted to see the blond's face, to read what he was missing. Mello seemed more upset than angry.

Lost in his own thoughts, he bumped right into Mello when he opened the door and stopped short there in the doorway to thei... _his_ room. "Mel?" He blinked. What the hell was he doing?

"Those fucking bastards." Came the growl from in front of him. Confused, Matt moved to stand beside him, his hand still in Mello's own as he looked around the room. As soon as he did, he could feel his own temper rise right alongside Mello's. They'd already taken his bed and desk. "Roger said this was my last night in this room. Now he's trying to push me into Near's already?"

"I guess he wanted to show you he wasn't kidding."

"Yeah? Well, neither am I. I'm staying here tonight. He _said_ I could. Fuck him."

Matt's lips parted to speak, then closed again. He could feel a bit of blood rushing to his cheeks as Mello squeezed his hand again, and he peeked over at Mello. Mello didn't look at him, but moved further into the room as Matt closed the door. He wasn't going to mention the obvious fact that Mello's only choices for bedding were the floor or his bed. Knowing Mello... he probably wasn't planning on sleeping on the floor.

He licked his lips, moving to his drawers to pull out a set of boxers for bed. Mello's clothes were gone too, and he knew Mello had no intention of traveling to Near's room for them. He'd sleep in his clothes or naked. If he was going to sleep in Matt's bed, he wasn't going to allow him either of those choices. He tossed him a pair of boxers and Mello mumbled a "Thank you," as they turned to change.

Mello yawned and watched Matt climb into bed, wordlessly climbing right in beside him. Matt had figured he'd do just that, and made no objections as Mello faced him in the middle of the bed, huddled close to share the pillow.

"I don't want to go into Near's room."

"I know, Mello..." Silence.

"...Matt?"

"Yeah?"

"..." Hesitation. "...Goodnight."

Hesitation? ...What was that about? Matt frowned a little. He hated when Mello had more on his mind than he let on. But for now, it would have to slide. "Goodnight."


	6. Speculation

**Chapter 6: Speculation**

Mello yawned, stretching his muscles a little and nuzzling his warm pillow- wait, wha-? He blinked awake, confused for a moment before yesterday's events rushed back into his mind. Oh, right. He'd slept in Matt's bed. He looked up at the redhead, still sleeping. He'd woken up to find himself wrapped in Matt's arms, his head upon the boy's chest. How they had done that in their sleep, he wasn't quite sure. It was a little embarrassing, and he could feel himself blush a little.

He watched Matt sleep a moment longer before settling against him again. He'd just wait for Matt to wake up first, then pretend he'd still been sleeping. Just as he closed his eyes, he felt Matt stir beneath him.

Matt yawned, arching his back a bit in a small stretch before realizing he couldn't move very far. He blinked at the puff of blond upon his chest. Mello... ...was thankfully still asleep. Matt cleared his throat a little and blushed, finding his arms around his friend. What a way to wake up. Mello would probably kill him if he were awake. But... since he wasn't...

He licked his lips, hesitating as he brought a hand up to place upon Mello's bare back, rubbing at his soft skin with his thumb. He certainly didn't mind Mello being there at all. In fact, he was very comfortable. If Mello could sneak into his room again at night, he certainly wouldn't mind. He knew there was a very slim chance of that, but he wouldn't mind waking up like this again.

Knowing that his eyes weren't visible to Matt, Mello dared to let them flutter lazily open when he felt his friend's hand upon his back. He didn't care if Matt could feel his lashes as he blinked or not. Matt's thumb rubbing on his back felt nice, and Mello snuggled a little closer, letting his arm drape over Matt's side. That rubbing on his back was beginning to feel a little _too_ nice, and he knew that if he didn't "wake up" soon, it was going to cause a problem that he really shouldn't be having.

He groaned a little, turning his face to glance up at Matt, who was looking back down at him. He couldn't help chuckling at Matt's expression, as if he'd been caught doing something bad. "Comfy?" He asked, smirking.

Matt sighed and nodded, letting his head fall back to the pillow. He started to rub at Mello's back again, but his friend jolted a little, and sat up suddenly.

"Come on," Mello yawned. "We're gonna miss breakfast."

Matt blinked as Mello hopped out of bed and dressed, lazily rolling out of the bed to do the same. Maybe Mello hadn't liked the back rubbing. It was a little weird, he supposed...

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Mello yawned, leaning on Matt's shoulder in the breakfast line. Usually he was tired because he'd spent all night studying. He'd slept just fine with Matt. Wonderfully, in fact. But he'd fallen asleep late because he'd been up most of the night thinking. One way or another, he'd find his way out of this stupid mess. He was sure Matt would probably help if he asked him, but he didn't want to drag him into it anymore. It had already caused them a few arguements and he was sure Matt wouldn't be too thrilled to rack up punishments in Mello's honor. Although, if he could bribe Roger for a lifetime supply of video games...

Matt took a step forward in the line and Mello nearly toppled over, glancing behind himself to make sure no one had seen that. At least one person had. Mello's bright eyes narrowed as they met a pair of dark ones across the cafeteria. Near... watching him again. What was that little twerp's problem? Mello frowned and turned, following Matt along the line. When they sat, he took another look in Near's direction... and ended up meeting his gaze directly for a moment before Near looked away.

He sighed, looking down to eat his food. After a few moments of silent eating, he nudged Matt with his elbow.

"Ow! What the hell, Mello-?"

"Is Near looking at me?"

"..._What_? ...Are you paranoid?"

Mello sighed, giving his best friend a look along the lines of 'You're hopeless.' "Near's been watching me lately." He said instead.

Matt nodded and started dancing in his seat. When Mello gave him a funny look, he started to sing, "I always feel like... somebody's waaatchin' meeee..."

"..._Really,_ Matt?"

"And I have no privacy. Woah ohh."

"Shut up! People are staring." Mello hissed, though he was trying not to smirk as he shoved a forkful of food into his mouth. Matt really could be such an idiot sometimes. If it weren't for Matt, though, Mello knew he'd have lost his mind years ago.

The warning that people were watching was enough to get Matt to quiet down. He glanced around the room to see just who was watching, though it didn't really matter. He cleared his throat a little and let his expression slip back into the emotionless facade he put up around others. He'd only done that to calm Mello down a little, anyway.

As Mello continued to eat, Matt took a bite of his food and took to staring across the cafeteria himself. Yes... Near was _still_ watching Mello. He'd been watching Mello a lot more than the blond was aware of lately. But Matt was aware of it. And he didn't like it.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

On the other side of the cafeteria, Near sat by himself with one leg curled beneath him on his seat. His food was barely touched, and a hand was twirling a little roughly in his hair. Mello had turned to look at him twice and was now appearing to blatantly ignore him on purpose. Did he know that he was being watched?

Even if Mello hadn't known by his own observation, he was sure Matt had told him by now. It was strange, how Matt seemed to be growing more and more... protective of Mello? Near quickly noticed that when he took to staring at Mello for periods of time, eventually Matt would begin to glare back in his direction.

Such as he was doing now.

Near gave a soft sigh, refusing to let his gaze drop from Matt's own. It was as if they were having a private, unspoken conversation. He could read the threats in Matt's eyes to back off, and he was sure his own were conveying his curiosity. But Matt was unrelenting.

Eventually, Near gave up and made a few jabs at his food, picking at it a bit before dumping his tray and heading off to his first class. Matt could glare at him all he wanted, but the fact was that Roger was switching Mello's room that very night. Come nightfall, Mello would be moving into his room.

There goes privacy. There goes peace.

To tell the truth, Near didn't want Mello in his room any more than the blond wanted to be in his room. He was more than content to have the room to himself and his toys, not having to share anything with anyone... not his toys, his space, his time, his breathing air, not a thing.

Near had been staring at Mello so much because he was trying to analyze him. He wanted to observe his behavior a little better... toward his friends, enemies, Matt.

Odd. Why had Matt gotten a category of his own? Perhaps because the two were nearly inseperable, except for the days when Matt would join Near in the Recreations Room for recess. Even then, Mello sometimes ventured inside just to talk to Matt or drag him away from Near's company.

What did all of this say about Mello? Near couldn't piece much of the boy together other than the facts he'd seen and heard. And what he'd seen was that Mello was an outgoing child. So typically, one would expect that rooming with Mello might prove interesting. Except for one small detail.

Mello hated Near's guts. That sort of put a damper on things. Near groaned to himself as he slipped into his seat for first period class. Mello hated his guts... so even after all his careful observations, he really had no clue just how Mello would treat him when he moved into his room. Mello was absolutely impossible to read. No matter how much he tried to prepare himself for the boy's arrival, it looked like he'd be going into this completely unprepared.


	7. Clearing

**A/N: **My sincerest apologies for taking far longer with updates than I'd promised. (Promised several times, I know.) After re-reading the story so that I could continue, I've decided that a small sort of change is going to be made. My writing seems to have been all over the place, mostly because I chose to write in a style I'm not totally used to, I think. From now on we'll be seeing a little more into Matt, Mello, Near, and each of their sides of this story.

As always, thank you, Readers, for your continued patience. -hearts-

-Mello-

**Chapter 7: Clearing **

The test was taking him longer than usual. And he knew he should have been done already, should have handed it in so the teacher wouldn't be giving him those funny looks, but truthfully... he could give a shit what the teacher thought. It wasn't _her_ grade anyway, so she could just mind her business. The essay question had kicked up his thoughts again about what he'd be facing in less than eight hours. Mello.

He'd come to the conclusion that what he was feeling about the whole thing was "nervous". He had no idea what sort of situation would arise the moment they were both in the room for the first time. He wasn't really afraid of getting hurt. That much he was sure Mello wouldn't do. He was capable of it, certainly, but he didn't seem _violently_ aggravated with him. More like... annoyed. Although he hadn't done a thing to Mello, of course, so he was pretty sure his annoyance was invalid-

"20 minutes remaining for the test." Near sighed as the teacher called out the reminder. Lord of the Fireflies was a fucking terrible book. He hurried to write out a small essay, handing in the test and taking his seat again before the teacher could give him another funny look... which she did, anyway. He ignored her looks, settling into his chair with one foot up on the seat to get comfortable as he took to staring out the window with a finger twirling in his hair.

He wouldn't be so bothered about the rooming situation if he knew _something_ about Mello personally. But he didn't know _anything_! He knew that the boy was a natural blond, taller than himself, liked to go outside, wore black, had teal eyes... He knew all the general things that everyone else knew. It wasn't enough. He was walking into a pre-set situation with an absolute stranger. In one of his classes, this would be considered dangerous and would require precaution. He was _trying_ to take precautions, but there was only so much he could do... which, of course, would be true in many situations he could likely face, so he supposed this would be good practice...

The bell rang for class 2 and he hurried from his seat. The rooming situation so far was a gigantic pain in the ass, and it hadn't even begun yet.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Matt frowned as he leaned back in his seat, chewing at the eraser of his pencil. Even though it was one of his Focus classes, the teacher had been going rather easy on him. His glare might have had something to do with it, he was sure. He hadn't even said anything about Matt and Linda "passing notes", though he knew the guy had to have noticed. It was probably because Linda was his favorite. Linda was everyone's favorite. She was almost like a well-behaved female Mello. ...Well, not really. He only said that because they both had charming social personalities.

Well. Linda did, anyway.

He couldn't help the mental chuckle to himself at the thought despite the pile of aggravation welling up in his mind, some of which Linda was attempting to help with. He gave a soft sigh and glanced down at his IM screen.

L2: Matt, it's Mello. lol I'm pretty sure he'll be in your room by tonight whether or not they tell him he can. And whether or not he's already killed Near by then has yet to be seen. My bets are on Near being shoved into a pillowcase.

He gave her a quick glance when the teacher's back was turned. "Pillowcase?" He mouthed, and she gave a silent giggle, shrugging with a grin. He shook his head, the small smile disappearing from their expressions as the teacher turned to them again. She was good at making him feel better. It wasn't exactly what he'd wanted to talk to her about, but he was still debating on that...

L2: What else is bothering you? Your emotions are showing. You should probably work on that. It happens a lot when it concerns Mello, fyi, so you REALLY should work on it. Especially if he ever takes First.

A grimace twitched at his face before he could stop it. Fucking... and she was right. He tried his best to keep his face expressionless, even though he was angry with himself for not being able to.

M2: You suck. XP But thanks. Yeah, I think I've been having a hard time with the Apathetic Face thing lately. This whole thing with Mel going to Near's room is just really pissing me off.

L2: I can see that. But so can other people, and that's the problem.

M2: I don't really give a fuck if other people know I'm pissed right now. Fuck the face thing, I don't fucking like any of this!

L2: But why? That is the problem, Matt. If you don't mind showing you're pissed, that's fine. But when people ask why, can you tell them?

M2: I'll ignore them.

L2: You do anyway.

M2: So I'm failing to see the problem here. Nobody bothers me, anyway,

L2: Yes, but some people here do actually care about others. You really think all of those sweet little younger-years are going to let you alone when they might be able to cheer you up by being cute? Like the little kid who asked you if you liked his new hat? Or the girl whose doll you helped fix? So they'll ask you what's wrong, and you'll ignore them? I know you won't. So when they ask you what's wrong, could you tell them? If not, you should probably get to work on that face.

Matt blinked, his surprise showing a little. He sat perfectly still in his seat, his expression immediately changing to show nothing at all as the teacher turned to them once more. Linda was right, of course. He kind of had a soft spot for the younger-years.

L2: I'm asking for a reason, Matt. And think about this. The last few days I've heard from you things like, "Near keeps fucking watching Mello and it's pissing me off." or "What if Mello doesn't come back?" "Do you think they might actually get along?" I can understand you being paranoid about losing your best friend, Matt... but then you also say things like, "Do you think Mello would like it if..." "Should I do _ for Mello today?" "I'm thinking of doing _ for Mello's birthday, what do you think?" Are you thinking about this?

Woah. What the hell with the topic change? Ohh, he was working SO hard on that face... and he wasn't sure it was working. It almost hurt, and he felt like he might even be shaking. What the hell was Linda getting at? No... he was pretty sure he could see what Linda was getting at. But she couldn't come to a conclusion like that so quickly. He wasn't even sure himself if what she were implying were true, and he didn't want to hear it before he was sure himself.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

If somebody didn't stop, someone was going to get hurt. He could see it now, and he didn't really give a fuck if it happened or not. His only concern was that it was causing a distraction to him, and his lesson was getting screwed because of it. He gave a loud, aggravated sigh. This was _exactly_ why they weren't allowed to date within their Focuses. Technically, they weren't allowed to date anyone in a study closely related to their Focus either, so that was a double no-no on this pair of idiots.

Girls, too. Both of them, that is. Worst kind of couple to be in a fight, probably. They had made it a dramatic point to sit apart from eachother that day, but they were obviously passing IM notes and glaring at eachother every few minutes... along with the obvious display of aggravation and obscene gestures here and there. Seriously?!

Mello rolled his eyes, turning to see if anyone else were as irritated as him. Plenty of people were, but none worth talking to.

L2: Hey Mel, you clear?

Oh, hello. Someone worth talking to. Linda was in a Focus class, so she must be really bored or already know what's going on if she were IMing him instead.

M: I'm clear. What's up?

L2: I'm concerned about your husband.

... Excuse her?! He wished she would stop making queer references to he and Matt being queer.

M: Would you knock that off?! What's wrong with Matt?

L2: It's even better for me every time you acknowledge who I'm talking about. Your temper is in no way ever going to make me stop, just so you are aware. I ttly ship you two. OTP. Omg. -hearts-

M: Would you fucking knock it off? Seriously, between you and Matt and your fucking geek-speech it's a wonder I still have a normal working vocabulary. What do you want?

He frowned a little, ripping a sheet of paper from a notebook and writing "shut ur fucking pie-holes you banshees" with his left hand before crumpling it and tossing it at one of the girl's heads after the teacher had turned around. The girl immediately spun to see where it had come from but no one else had been paying attention (or they didn't care,) and he was already checking his screen again.

L2: Seriously this time, Mello... I think Matt's in love with you.


End file.
